The Philadelphia 76ers guard got confirmation from head coach Brett Brown on Monday after he had originally made the move known this past week. And ahead of the team’s season opener against the Boston Celtics, Sixers reporter Jon Johnson spoke to Fultz about his new starting role.

As you can imagine, the former No. 1 pick was excited about the opportunity and felt like it was a step forward following his offseason work.

Markelle Fultz on being named starter: "Almost like a pat on the back to myself for all the hard work I put in this summer, but at the same time we have a goal. We have things to take care of"

Fultz’s preseason performance after an offseason under a microscope featured some mixed results. The Sixers guard scored 26 points over the first two games while making 11-of-23 from the field. He added seven rebounds and five assists, along with three blocks for good measure.

But the final two matchups, which were part of the NBA China Games, featured the second-year guard struggle a bit. He made 5-of-14 shots with just 10 total points.

It’ll be interesting to see how Fultz looks in what should be an intense opening-night game against the rival Celtics while playing alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.